Tag: Breakfast

Huevos rancheros, also known as “rancher’s eggs” is a popular breakfast dish comprising eggs served Mexican-style, i.e. fried eggs are served on lightly fried corn tortillas topped with a meat sauce, refried beansand slices of avocado or gaucamole. It is a great dish to prepare with leftovers the morning after a Mexican fiesta !

This recipe is quick and easy to make and will definitely put a smile on your Valentine’s face! Use one type of fruit or a combination of different coloured fruits if you prefer. These fruit bites are great for lunch boxes too (see photo below).

Home-made muesli is special and can be served as is with hot or cold milk or yoghurt or add extra nuts or moist dried fruit such as chopped figs or apple rings just before serving. Cooking time is shortened considerably if cooked in this way. See variations below to toast in the oven in large quantities.

Combine the dry ingredients. Mix together the honey, sugar, vanilla essence, oil, boiling water and salt and add to the dry ingredients. Blend with a fork .

Spoon the mixture into a 220 to 280 mm pie plate and spread out evenly on the base of the pie plate.

Microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes.

Stir well to break up lumps and stir the muesli from the outside of the dish towards the center.

Microwave 2 minutes more.

Stir well and continue to microwave 1 minute at a time stirring in between until golden – the muesli will brown on standing.

Stir while cooling to obtain a loose crumbly muesli and store in glass jars or airtight containers.

Makes ± 500 ml muesli.

Notes
To make a double batch of muesli (or more), line a large baking tray with a Wizbake baking sheet and spread out the mixture onto a baking tray. Bake in the oven at 150°C for about 30 minutes. With a spatula, stir and turn the muesli over from time to time and move the browner bits away from the edges towards the center of the baking tray. Continue until all is golden and crisp.

To assemble the “trifles”, transfer a spoonful or two of yoghurt into each glass and cover with a little honey or fruit coulis followed by a layer of muesli. Repeat the layers until the glasses are full.

Finish off the “trifles” with fruit or home-made fruit coulis and sprinkles.

Notes
Glasses with a cylindrical shape and a capacity of about 150 ml works well.

Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelette or crustless quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta. The word frittata is Italian and roughly translates to “fried”, i.e. egg fried in a pan. It was apparently Delia Smith who described a frittata as “Italy’s version of an open-face omelette” for the first time. All you need is a few eggs and a small quantity of almost any raw or cooked, fresh or leftover ingredients from the refrigerator.

Combine the eggs and herbs in a mixing bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a shallow non-stick saucepan (± 25 cm in diameter).

Pour the egg mixture into the pan and turn the heat down to its lowest setting.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until set and lightly browned on the one side. The frittata should still be runny on top.

Remove the lid and scatter the variable ingredients evenly over the surface.

To complete the cooking on top, transfer the pan to the oven and place under the grill (not too close) and cook briefly to allow the egg to set. This will take 20 to 30 seconds. This can only be done if the handle of the pan is oven proof.

Slip the frittata onto a warm serving platter. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve as is for breakfast or with a green salad for a light meal.

Fold the sheets of phyllo pastry simultaneously in half, unfold and cut through the fold line. Place the 8 wide strips on top of each other, fold in half again and cut in the same way to obtain 16 strips. Stack the strips.Fold the strips simultaneously in half lengthways, unfold and cut in half on the fold line. Pile the shorter strips on top of each other and fold and cut once more to obtain 64 squares. Stack the squares and cover with a cloth or seal in an airtight container.

Line a large baking tray with a . Place as many of the squares as will fit comfortably, onto the baking tray. Brush lightly with melted butter, cover each square with a second square and brush again. Make double-layered squares or if preferred multi-layered squares and separate into double layers after baking.

Bake at 180°C for 4 to 5 minutes or until the squares are pale golden and crisp. Take care not to over bake – if baked until brown the taste and appearance will be impaired.

Cool, pack carefully into airtight containers and store until required or up to a month.

To assemble the stacks, place one double-layered square of phyllo pastry onto a serving plate, add a spoonful of yoghurt and arrange some fruit on top. Cover the fruit with a second double-layered phyllo square and repeat, ending with a third double layered phyllo square. Dust with icing sugar and finish with fruit and nuts or muesli.

Four sheets of phyllo pastry will make 32 double layered squares sufficient for at least 10 stacks.

Recipe by Carolié de Koster from the Art Of Cooking recipe book – p. 795.

French toast is the champion of brunch. Nothing says “weekend” like tucking into crispy triangles of bread dripping with syrup or honey. In France, French toast is referred to as “pain perdu”. It is referred to as “lost bread” because it is a way to reclaim stale or otherwise “lost” bread. The hard bread is softened by dipping it in a mixture of milk and eggs, and then pan-fried in butter. It is served with a dusting of icing sugar and jam or syrup. It is also known as eggy bread, gypsy toast or omelette bread. In France, pain perdu is served as a dessert, a breakfast or an afternoon tea snack.

See my post “New Foodie Movie: French Toast” for info on this South African movie that will be released on 24 April 2015. If you haven’t been to Paris, France, it will feel as if you’ve been after you have seen it through Lise’s eyes!

Coconut flour is a soft flour produced from dried coconut meat. It is grain-free, gluten-free and nut free which means those with Celiac or gluten intolerance can enjoy it too. Coconut flour also has many health benefits you won’t find in wheat flour products. It is:

High in fibre – nearly twice the amount of fibre found in wheat bran. Great for improving digestion, reducing the amount of sugar your body absorbs and lowering cholesterol.

High in protein – it is higher in protein and essential amino acids than rye or cornmeal flour.

The South African crumpet is a small to medium round crumpet made with a quick batter mixture cooked in a pan or on a griddle. They are mostly served as a teatime treat with butter, jam or syrup and cream. The same batter recipe may be used to make small crumpets or large flapjacks. Smaller thinner crumpets should be made with a slightly thinner batter than larger thicker crumpets. Adjust the liquid to create the desired product.

The cream and buttermilk combination is responsible for the delicate, moist texture, rich flavour and excellent keeping quality while the method used minimises the mixing time. This scone recipe was invented by Marianne Palmer of the Cranemere Farm in the Karoo.

Brown Gravy Powder MixThe gravy powder mix is a successful shortcut to produce a shiny and thick brown gravy with a lovely flavour. It may be used on it’s own or to moisten and enrich stews or meat dishes. To adjust the consistency, use more or less sauce powder than recommended below.